Jacob De Witt
Encyclopedia
Jacob De Witt was a Quebec
businessman and political figure.
He was born in Windham, Connecticut
in 1785, of Dutch
descent, and came to Montreal
with his family around 1802. He set up a hardware business with a partner in 1814, opening his own business three years later. He owned a steamship
that transported goods on the Saint Lawrence River
and owned land and a sawmill
in Beauharnois County. De Witt was elected to represent Beauharnois in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
and elected again in 1834. Although he supported the parti patriote
and voted in support of the Ninety-Two Resolutions
, he did not take an active part in the Lower Canada Rebellion
. He was a charter member of the Bank of Canada
and one of the founders of La Banque du Peuple at Montreal. De Witt was elected to represent Leinster County in an 1842 by-election; he was reelected in 1844. He was elected in Beauharnois
in 1848 and in Châteauguay
in 1854. He helped organize and served as chairman for the Anti-Seigniorial Tenure Convention and signed the Montreal Annexation Manifesto
. De Witt helped establish the Montreal and Bytown Railway and was a founder and director of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank.
He died in Montreal in 1859.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
businessman and political figure.
He was born in Windham, Connecticut
Windham, Connecticut
Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the city of Willimantic and the villages of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. The city of Willimantic was consolidated with the town in 1983...
in 1785, of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
descent, and came to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with his family around 1802. He set up a hardware business with a partner in 1814, opening his own business three years later. He owned a steamship
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
that transported goods on the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and owned land and a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in Beauharnois County. De Witt was elected to represent Beauharnois in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
and elected again in 1834. Although he supported the parti patriote
Parti canadien
The Parti canadien or Parti patriote was a political party in what is now Quebec founded by members of the liberal elite of Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century...
and voted in support of the Ninety-Two Resolutions
Ninety-Two Resolutions
The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the Parti patriote of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony....
, he did not take an active part in the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
. He was a charter member of the Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada (commercial)
The Bank of Canada was granted a charter on August 16, 1858. The charter was granted to the Honorable William Cayley, the Honorable Joseph Curran Morrison, Angus Morrison Esq., the Honorable John Ross, William Henry Boulton Esq. and Frederick William Cumberland Esq...
and one of the founders of La Banque du Peuple at Montreal. De Witt was elected to represent Leinster County in an 1842 by-election; he was reelected in 1844. He was elected in Beauharnois
Beauharnois (electoral district)
Beauharnois was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935, from 1949 to 1953, and from 1968 to 1972....
in 1848 and in Châteauguay
Châteauguay (electoral district)
Châteauguay was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917 and from 1979 to 2004.-History:It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...
in 1854. He helped organize and served as chairman for the Anti-Seigniorial Tenure Convention and signed the Montreal Annexation Manifesto
Montreal Annexation Manifesto
The Montreal Annexation Manifesto was a political document dated September 14, 1849 and signed in Montreal, Quebec, calling for Canada's annexation by the United States....
. De Witt helped establish the Montreal and Bytown Railway and was a founder and director of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank.
He died in Montreal in 1859.